1. Field of the Invention
A buoy arrester that includes a boat hook having a U-shaped body for manually capturing a mooring line in the water by a mariner positioned on a floating vessel, a releasable boat hook pole-shaped handle, and a line attaching ring positioned on the boat hook body at the U-shaped opening for securing the boat hook to the vessel during arrestment of the mooring line.
2. Description of Related Art
A mooring is useful for anchoring a boat in a body of water. A mooring typically has a large concrete block secured on the ocean bottom and a mooring chain or line from the secured block to a float on top of the water to identify its location. The mooring line can be tied to a boat for anchorage. Capturing a mooring line from a moving boat using a boat hook can be very tricky and sometimes dangerous, especially in heavy winds or fast current situations or both. A mariner, especially if alone, will be forced to stand and reach over the side of a moving vessel with a boat hook for capturing the mooring line. Once the mariner has engaged the mooring line in the water with the boat hook, the mariner still must maneuver the mooring line into the boat for attachment to a boat cleat for a secure anchorage. The experience of mooring a boat to a mooring line can result in dropping the boat hook into the ocean after capture or making several passes over the line without line capture.
Using the buoy arrester described herein, mooring a vessel even with a single person is made much easier and safer because of the construction of the buoy arrester. By having the mariner grasp a separate securing line attached at one end directly to the boat hook on a ring adjacent the opening of the boat hook, the mariner can retain control of the boat hook in every situation to prevent loss of the boat hook over the side. Once the mariner captures the mooring line, the mariner can pull the mooring line on to the boat or up to the boat for attachment to a cleat or other line.